PLGA-based nanocarriers for combined delivery of colchicine and purpurin 18 in cancer therapy: Multimodal approach employing cancer cell spheroids

Alma Lucia Villela Zumaya; Vladimíra Svobodová Pavlíčková; Silvie Rimpelová; Markéta Štějdířová; Michal Fulem; Ivana Křížová; Pavel Ulbrich; Pavel Řezanka; Fatima Hassouna

doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124170

PLGA-based nanocarriers for combined delivery of colchicine and purpurin 18 in cancer therapy: Multimodal approach employing cancer cell spheroids

Int J Pharm. 2024 Apr 26:657:124170. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124170. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Alma Lucia Villela Zumaya¹, Vladimíra Svobodová Pavlíčková², Silvie Rimpelová³, Markéta Štějdířová¹, Michal Fulem¹, Ivana Křížová⁴, Pavel Ulbrich², Pavel Řezanka¹, Fatima Hassouna⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Chemical Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
² Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
³ Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic. Electronic address: silvie.rimpelova@vscht.cz.
⁴ Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic.
⁵ Faculty of Chemical Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, 166 28 Prague 6, Czech Republic. Electronic address: fatima.hassouna@vscht.cz.

PMID: 38679244
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124170

Abstract

Improving the anticancer efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs and photosensitizers requires innovative multifunctional nanoplatforms. This study introduces a chemo- and phototherapeutic drug delivery system (DDS) based on poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs), both PEGylated and non-PEGylated, with a mean size of 200 ± 75 nm. Colchicine (Colch) and purpurin18 (P18) were co-encapsulated into these NPs, and their in vitro drug release profiles were investigated. The anticancer potential of these systems was evaluated across various cell lines (i.e., CaCo-2, PC-3, MCF-7, and MRC-5 cells), demonstrating enhanced NP uptake by cancer cells compared to free drugs. Co-administration of Colch and P18 in 2D and 3D cell line models exhibited a synergistic effect, harnessing both chemotherapeutic and photodynamic effects, leading to higher cancer cell elimination efficacy. This newly developed multifunctional DDS presents a promising platform for combined chemo- and photodynamic therapy in cancer treatment.

Keywords: Cancer cell spheroids; Colchicine; Drug delivery system; Multifunctional nanoplatform; PEGylated PLGA nanoparticles; PLGA nanoparticles; Purpurin 18.